Tetris & Digital Systems

In many ways, managing your law practice is a lot like playing a game of Tetris.

When you zoom out and consider the big picture, you can easily see that your law practice is composed of a bunch of different components.

At one level you have your operations component, and also a marketing component.

But there are financial components (time & billing, accounting, payroll). And staffing, file management, etc.

As you zoom in you see smaller components like the invoices you send out and the template you use to do that.

Or you have a process for processing incoming mail or important emails (e.g. court notices).

All of these workflows and smaller components are connected together.

And your job is to monitor the efficiency of these small workflows and make sure the connections are working well.

So in that way, managing your practice is sort of like playing a game of Tetris.

Except that it’s harder because you’re not just looking at one screen where all the pieces are easy to spot.

Most of what you need to pay attention to is conceptual or not easy to see (i.e. digital workflows).

And, of course, the stakes are higher in managing your law practice.

It’s not a game like Tetris.

But, you should have a strategy for managing your practice.

And you should pay close attention to the important parts and how they connect.

That’s what “working ON your business” is all about.

Only you can manage the various components of your business.

You can’t delegate that or outsource it.

So, what’s your plan for managing all of these parts?

I can’t help you manage all of the parts of your practice.

What I can help with are your “digital systems.”

Think about it…

Technology is a key component of any modern business now.

And you need to manage that component well too.

Preferably not by reflexively copying paper-based, machine-era processes.

Digital workflows are much different than paper-based workflows.

And most lawyers who struggle with technology today are doing so because they’re trying to pound a square “paper-based framework” into a round “digital-based” hole.

I recommend you get clear about how digital systems work.

That’s a vital key to higher performance in managing your law practice.

General Resources

• Check out my Inner Circle (to participate in ongoing discussions about tech tools I discuss and recommend)
• Check out this Law-Tech Assessment if you want specific recommendations for improving based on the technology you’re using in your practice
• Click for a list of the Best Tech Tools for Lawyers
• Subscribe to: The 80/20 Principle newsletter (it’s free)